You may be wondering how to help the people of Japan cope with the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that occurred March 11.  You can do it by buying goods from Japanese companies online.  This post tells you the best way to shop Japan via the Internet.

One idea for economic recovery that I have not seen mentioned is to shop directly with Japanese businesses online.  Americans and others around the world have donated millions of dollars through various relief organizations, such as the Red Cross, and many others have traveled to Japan to volunteer their services.  But, while donations of money satisfy the immediate need to get supplies to the people in the towns of the tsunami-ravaged Tohoku region, dollars can be infused into the Japanese economy long-term by shopping via the Internet from anywhere in the world at Rakuten.

Click to explore Rakuten's huge online mall

Many people outside Japan have not heard of Rakuten.  It is an online shopping company.  It is Japan’s equivalent of Amazon.  The Japanese name “Rakuten Ichiba” translates to “Rakuten Shopping Mall,” which is exactly what it is — an aggregation of 33,000 Japanese shops and businesses.  This huge online shopping site offers 60 million products.  Rakuten is the second most visited site in Japan, with over 50 million registered users.  In fact, this Internet shopping giant is the reason Amazon has not been able to make much headway into the Japanese market.  It is estimated that one-third of households in Japan shop at Rakuten.  And that says something:  Japanese consumers, particularly online, are known for being finicky and demanding.  Rakuten has met their needs to the point that it is now one of the top ten Internet companies in the world, and has an international presence.  In addition to products, it also has its own extensive travel services site, which anyone in the world can use.

Rakuten is now actively expanding its shopping services in other markets throughout the world, including Europe and the United States.  Amazon may be the largest online shopping company, but sheer size is no guarantee of quality (Microsoft sells more operating systems than any other company but no one thinks their OS is the best, and General Motors became the largest automaker in the world selling cars inferior to a number of other makes), so I would not be surprised if, in a few years, Rakuten has noticeably eroded Amazon’s market share.  You can think of Rakuten as the Honda of online retailing.

What does that mean with respect to helping the Japanese economy weather the aftermath of the earthquake?

We know that the world’s economic fortunes are subject to ripple effects that transcend national boundaries.  Mortgage foreclosures in the American mid-west affect the value of the Euro.  The price of labor in China impacts how much Walmart pays its US workers.  The Russian wheat harvest affects the price of food in Delhi and Des Moines.  With respect to the world economy, Japan is a titan, boasting the third largest economy after the US and China.  So any financial woes that Japan experiences as a result of the triple whammy of the earthquake, tsunami, and radiation contamination from damaged nuclear power plants will affect not only the Japanese people but people in the United States and around the world.  (Already, it is projected that demand for the Prius will not be able to be met, since there are parts suppliers for the car in the affected region.  And US beef exports to Japan may be hampered by damaged port facilities.)  In other words, the domino effect from an economic slowdown in Japan coupled with the need to re-build infrastructure could affect your personal financial situation.  So it behooves you to help your neighbor.

Thus, if you shop for Japanese goods, you can help not only Japanese businesses and consumers as they recover and re-build, but your own economy as well.  The easiest (and most enjoyable) way to shop in Japan from outside Japan is Rakuten. Spend a few bucks there, get yourself some interesting, well-made Japanese products, and you’ll be helping float everyone’s boat.  After all, just imagine what it would have meant to a local hardware or stationery store in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina if they had had a steady influx of customers…  If they had experienced damage or hardship from the hurricane, sure, packets of freeze-dried food and blankets would have met their immediate physical needs, but long-term, it’s customers buying from businesses that sustain an economy, whether in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi or Ofunato, Japan.

You can find just about any kind of product at Rakuten, from books to ice cream to motorcycle parts.  But why not get something interesting or unusual?  How about:

• Sake
• Momotaro Jeans (maybe the best jeans in the world)
• Japanese Sandals
• Tea Sets
• Samurai Clothes and Accessories
• Edible Seaweed from Ofunato (the northeast region)

You can also try using the search field on the Rakuten homepage to search for city names in the northeast region, such as Sendai, Kamaishi, Miyako, and Kuji, in order to find stores in those cities from which to buy.  Keep in mind that operations at those stores might be curtailed or slowed for awhile — but they will still appreciate the business!

Rakuten currently ships to over 50 countries (and the list is expanding) and their site has pages optimized for a number of countries, including the USA, Canada, China, France, and the UK.  If you’re outside Japan, when you place an order you’ll usually be put in touch via email with the shop that sells the item to arrange a shipping method and cost.  (Note that some shops offer special free international shipping promotions, or $1 international shipping.)  There is a weight restriction on items shipped to the US via certain carriers, but many shops can arrange a shipping method to the US that gets around this limit.

When you first explore the site, you may wonder where to go and how to approach it, but anyone familiar with online shopping can quickly figure it out.  Explore.  In addition, they have a handy instructional page here.

Think of it as an adventure, man.  As well as a good deed.

Here’s a testimonial from a customer in the US posted on the Rakuten site:

“I recently found Rakuten via Facebook, and boy I couldn’t be happier. As a person interested in Japanese culture, this website is great. I’ve found many things I had been looking for as well as new items that have caught my eye. The website is well laid out and very intuitive to navigate. And the search feature is one of the better ones I’ve encountered for a merchant website. And this is all from a website that isn’t set up for business in the USA. If the USA website is half as good, then it’ll be better than most merchants that I’ve purchased from.   by Nick M – NJ, USA”

Hey, if Nick can do it, you can, too.  And remember, you’ll be helping the cause.  It all adds up.

If you have found something interesting or useful here on Best Stuff for Men, please consider making a donation, so others can benefit, too.  Thanks!

Related posts:

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2. Sure, Your Mom Would Appreciate Flowers for Mother’s Day — But What About Something Sorta Different?

Sure, someday you might have to use bolt cutters to penetrate a fence into a compound to rescue a beautiful damsel in distress, just like they do in those movies where the guys never seem to have a problem finding all-black outfits, but in the meantime, a set of reliable bolt cutters is  a reassuring thing to own.  Because when you need them, nothing works as well.

And besides, bolt cutters are on the list of manly tools you should simply have around, like a good knife, a Louisville Slugger, a Zippo lighter, Wolverine boots, Persol sunglasses, and a dog that’s smarter than you.

When you have to cut a chain, a lock, a fence, heavy-gauge wire, hinges, cable, rebar – even small dowels or sailboat rigging – bolt cutters get the job done.  And, you know, they can also be used to cut bolts.  (The name “bolt cutter” derives from the fact that they were originally used to cut bolt seals from shipping locks.)  Good models can convert 50 pounds of force on the handles to 4,000 pounds of cutting force.  Not many round metal objects can withstand that.  And, truth be told, it’s mighty satisfying.

And sure, you can use them for unauthorized entry or egress.  Which, under certain circumstances, may be called for.  Besides, if everything you do in life is authorized, things will turn out rather dull.  That’s another reason it’s nice to have them around.  Because you never know.

Listed below are the best bolt cutters you can buy. Click the links to see detailed spec’s and make your purchase.  I’ve already done the shopping to find the best prices and most reliable stores online.

Klein Tools

Klein Tools has been producing top-of-the-line tools since 1857, when Mathias Klein hand-forged his first pair of pliers.  Professional tradesmen, particularly in the electrical industry, swear by Klein.  They make pretty much the best bolt cutters in the world.  Such as these:  Klein Tools 30-inch Bolt Cutters (63130) with fiberglass handles (almost a pound lighter than their steel-handled bolt cutters of the same length; they’re also non-conductive, in case you ever have to cut a live electrical line).  If you’re going to get bolt cutters, you may as well get 30-inchers since they produce terrific leverage (making your job easier), yet are not too unwieldy to carry around.  These bolt cutters will slice through soft, medium, and hard materials.  Technically, this translates to:  soft and medium-hard materials, they’ll handle up to Brinell 300/Rockwell C31; hard materials, they’ll cut up to Brinell 400/Rockwell C42.  (In materials science, both the Brinell scale and Rockwell scale are measures of hardness — the resistance of a material to indentation.  The Rockwell C scale is applied to harder steels, such as titanium alloys and case-hardened steel.  To give you a rough idea, steel with a Rockwell hardness in the C range could be used in manufacturing crankshafts.  By contrast, aluminum has a Brinell rating of around 70.)  The hand-grips of these Klein bolt cutters are heavy-duty vinyl.  The bolts of the tool-steel, precision-ground, center-cut jaws have lockplate reinforcement and one-touch adjustment.  Most Klein Tools are manufactured in the USA.  They are not cheap.   They are worth it.  Get them from PlumberSurplus,an online store that provides an extensive selection of hardware, general equipment, household products, and more.  They have good customer service.

HK Porter

Here’s another American-made bolt cutter that will generally get the job done: the 30-inch bolt cutter from H. K. Porter (sold by Cooper Tools, which is part of the Apex Tool Group).  This is an industrial-grade bolt cutter (0290MC), with drop-forged, precision-ground, alloy steel jaws that cut in the center for all-purpose applications.  The handles are tubular steel, with rubber grips.  They will cut materials up to a hardness of Brinell 455/Rockwell C48 (extra hard). These bolt cutters last for years in commercial use (e.g., plant maintenance).  For home applications, they should last a lifetime — and you’ll know you can rely on them in an extraordinary situation.  Not quite as expensive as the cutters from Klein.  Get them on sale from BIC Warehouse.

I’m not saying the following is a good idea.  On the other hand…

Ridgid

Ever since it made its first heavy-duty Ridgid pipe wrench in 1923, the Ridge Tool Company has been the choice of professionals in the construction trades.  Known internationally for producing some of the best plumbing tools in the world, the company brings this same dedication to quality and function in making its bolt cutters.  You cannot go wrong with the Ridgid Heavy-Duty 30-inch Bolt Cutters (14228).  And when they say “heavy-duty,” they mean it.  These bolt cutters are made with the highest-quality materials and design features.  The head is slim to permit cutting close to surfaces and the hardened steel alloy jaws are designed and manufactured to produce the longest possible blade life.  An internal cam mechanism provides easy, one-step adjustment of blade alignment.  Handles and grips are engineered to maximize mechanical advantage when cutting.  Each set of Ridgid bolt cutters has a lifetime warranty against defects in materials or workmanship (excluding normal wear over the life of the tool).  Get them for a discount from Buy.com.

Knipex

Knipex bolt cutters are made in Germany.  It might seem appropriate then to say that they’re the Mercedes of bolt cutters, but that might not do full justice to Knipex.  Like some of the other companies on this page, Knipex began by making pliers — in this case, in 1882.  They concentrated on making the best pliers possible, and their tools became a particular favorite of electricians.  When you think about it, bolt cutters are just a variant of pliers.  And nobody knows how to make a gripping/pinching/cutting tool better than Knipex (pronounced “K-nih’-pex”).  These are the Knipex 30-inch (760 mm) premium-class Bolt Cutters.  They have blades made of tempered, oil-hardened, chrome vanadium steel, and will cut materials up to HRC 48 (Rockwell C-scale), including pre-stressed steel and tempered steel wire.  The jaws are induction-hardened to HRC 62, giving them not only high load-bearing capacity but long service life.  The joints are forged tool-steel.  The head and joint area are quite flat, allowing for good access in tight quarters.  These may also be some of the best-looking bolt cutters you can buy (with the bright red and blue color scheme).  The handles are made of powder-coated steel, ergonomically-angled for ease of use, and the grips are a non-slip composite material.  The blades are adjustable to 12 different positions for precision cutting.  And the heads are replaceable, meaning these bolt cutters are well-nigh immortal.  Get the Knipex bolt cutters from Sears, meaning you also get the Sears satisfaction guarantee.  (Note that you can get $5 off a purchase of $50 or more at Sears using code SEARS5OFF50 at checkout.)  These bolt cutters are not cheap, but the likelihood is you wouldn’t ever need to buy another set for the rest of your life.  They won’t let you down.

Black Rhino

The final product I’ll mention are the economical 30-inch Bolt Cutters from Black Rhino, which you can also get at Sears (note the coupon code in the banner below — SEARS5OFF50).   If you want a good balance between quality and savings, go for these bolt cutters.   The Black Rhino company was launched a dozen years ago in the United States with an emphasis on design — form as well as function — and now have a number of patents to their credit, as well as an international presence.  They seek to compete with the big boys, such as Klein, in reputation and quality, while holding down cost.  The fact that Sears carries these bolt cutters is an indication of their quality — and, at under $55, they won’t break the bank.  The Black Rhino bolt cutters are an industrial grade tool, made from chromium molybdenum steel, suitable for professional use.  The heat-treated blades have a hardness rating of HRC 60+5.  The I-beam blade design is patented and they have fat “Rhino” grips designed to enhance leverage as well as comfort.  The color scheme also sets them apart on the job site (and could come in handy for stealth situations, such as when you’re rescuing that damsel in distress).  They have a limited lifetime warranty (as do all the bolt cutters on this page).  They should handle most any cutting job you have.  See the video testimonial below.  You can find the Black Rhino bolt cutters at Overstock, too, for good savings.

Just remember, I didn’t tell you to cut that thing.

Related posts:

1. The Basics: Knives – Every Man Needs One or Three (and Multitools)
2. Survival Knives

Yes, outdoor-lover, I mean “big” in the sense that EMS sells a big selection of the best brands, as well as “big” because of the notable discounts.  Eastern Mountain Sports is one of the premier outdoor retailers when it comes to selection, value, and customer service.  You can get ready for  all your winter activities and sports — skiing, camping, climbing, snowshoeing, sledding, snowball fights – along with everything else you like to do — biking, running, paddling, hiking, etc.  Keep warm!  Stay dry!  Be active!  Have fun!

Get free 2-Day Air shipping when you join the ShopRunner program at EMS.com:  Click here to join now. 

If you’ve been thinking of getting a better tent, a warmer sleeping bag, a headlamp for your bike so you can keep peddling throughout the winter — NOW’s the time to get it!

Also:  EMS currently offers free shipping on orders over $125.

In general, their sales offer discounts off their already low prices.  Take advantage now.  Click the highlighted text links, the images, or banners to save a bundle on the gear you want…

Mountain Hardware Men's Exposure II Parka

Save on Ski and Snowboard Jackets at EMS.com.

Click to shop for Snowshoes.

See Mens Apparel and Outerwear.

Click for good prices on a large selection of Climbing Gear.

Click for good prices on Tents and Camping Gear at EMS.com.

Winter Tents

See Fleece Jackets & Vests to keep you warm during all your activities.

EMS has Cycling Helmets, Shoes, Apparel, and a lot of other gear.
 

And to be fair, I’ll note that Women’s Apparel and Outerwear is also on sale for good prices.  Get a gift for your outdoorsy XX chromosome pals or sporty signif other.

 
Have fun this winter, dude!

Related posts:

1. Take Advantage of the 72-Hour Sale at Moosejaw to Get the Outdoor Gear You’ve Been Waiting For
2. Father’s Day: Get Something Good for Your Dad (or Yourself)

You’ll have a chance to impersonate a character you admire on October 31 without fear of social ostracism and, in support of that, here are a bunch of high-quality replica swords and knives you might want to equip yourself with in order to increase your authenticity. 

Plus, you know, giving anyone a katana automatically makes them cool.  (Just ask Neal Stephenson.)  And by the way, “replica” does not mean “not sharp.”

The sword was the most important weapon in the world for thousands of years.  Some people still swear by it (you don’t have to re-load a sword and, if you can master that cutting-a-bullet-in-half trick, you’ve got an edge).  I want to highlight two outstanding places to get swords and knives online, both replica and real (by “real” I mean you can use it as a serious tool in battle — should you ever find yourself in a battle).  The best with respect to choice, customer service, and price is True Swords.  And a close second is Swords.com (their prices are sometimes a little higher but they usually have a particularly good selection of serious Japanese swords).  Both sites are enjoyable and informative to read and to shop, and both have top-notch service.  (And I should add for overall broad range of merchandise, Budk.) 

Following are some swords and knives you might want to consider adding to your collection.  And if you don’t have at least one sword, why not?  Every guy can use a sword at some point.  Even if only on All Hallows’ Eve. 

The "Bride" sword

One of the most absorbing, stylish, kinetic, and fun modern martial arts films, Kill Bill is appropriately reverent when it comes to the katana.  And exuberant in portraying the mayhem it can cause.  Pictured at left is “The Bride’s Sword,” used by Beatrix Kiddo to implement her lethal “To-do” list.  This sword is a serious replica of the sword made in the film by Hattori Hanzo (played by Sonny Chiba, at his best), with a tempered high-carbon steel blade, full tang, ray skin and black leather handle, and multiple engravings.  Get it from True Swords for under $100.

Bill's "Demon" sword

On the other hand, maybe you liked Bill’s “Demon” sword, also made by Hanzo.  You can get that one, too, and for less than $60, which is a great price for this well-constructed replica.

Or you can get the two swords (Bride and Bill) as a set, made of stainless steel, with a wooden stand.

And the stylish O-Ren Ishii sword is also available.  And how about the boot-stashed straight razor Beatrix used to cut her bonds in the coffin (might not work that great for shaving, though).

Of course, when it comes to movie swords, we couldn’t leave out a movie with a title like Blade.  Here’s the sword of the Daywalker (Wesley Snipes).  Yes, it’s got that secret dagger in the handle.  Doesn’t come with the wooden stand, though.

Morpheus katana

Another iconic movie franchise that featured cool Japanese and Chinese edged weapons is The Matrix.  Here is the katana Morpheus wielded in The Matrix: Reloaded.  This is a well-made replica sword. 

G.I. Joe "Snake Eyes" katana

A movie that didn’t achieve quite the popularity of those above, but still had some pretty cool swords, was G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.  Pictured at left is the katana used by “Snake Eyes,” who took a vow of silence when his master was killed by his arch-enemy “Storm Shadow.”  This replica is a faithful reproduction of the sword used in the film.  It has a high-carbon steel blade, a rayskin and leather grip, a wooden scabbard with full detailing, a display stand, and a certificate of authenticity.  Each one is individually numbered, so this is definitely a collectible.  And you can also get the Storm Shadow katana, with its distinctive white handle and scabbard (not pictured).

And finally to round out this collection of cinematic katanas, we should include the only notable TV katana of late, and that’s Hiro’s sword from Heroes.  The blade is hand-forged carbon steel, the scabbard is hardwood with a glossy piano-paint finish, and it comes with a display stand.  Yatta!

 For a sword from a little older TV show, well, movie, well, animated series, that’s sort of a Scottish katana, check out the Highlander Sword carried by Connor MacLeod, a beautiful 3rd generation version of the sword from the popular saga (not pictured).

William Wallace sword from Braveheart

Now let’s move in a westerly direction.  Thankfully for political freedom everywhere, William Wallace was pretty good at swinging a blade, as well as leading troops.  Here is William Wallace’s sword from Braveheart.  The sword’s overall length is 53 inches and the blade is stainless steel.  It comes with a scabbard.  

Entertainment Earth also offers a high-quality reproduction of the William Wallace sword that is quite popular and sells out from time to time, but click here to check it out – this is about as good as movie prop replicas get.

Black Knight's Rapier

A sword that gets heavy use in films is the rapier, a gentleman’s sword that came into wide use in Europe in the 17th century.  This is the kind of sword you see in movies such as The Count of Monte Cristo and The Princess Bride (both notable for their excellent dueling choreography).  The rapier at left is the Black Knight’s Silver Spiral Rapier.  This is a nice replica sword from True Swords that’s only about $60.  If you want a much high-quality rapier, try the Solingen Rapier from Swords.com.  This is the kind of sword you grab when you want to buckle some swash.

Anduril

Another famous sword with a western heritage — western fantasy, that is — is the sword Anduril from The Lord of the Rings.  This is the sword that was re-forged for Aragorn, heir to the throne of Gondor.  This is a beautiful replica with 24K gold fittings and it comes with a wall plaque. 

And as long as we’re in a Lord of the Rings mode, you may also want to get hold of Gandalf’s sword Glamdring (another very nice reproduction from True Swords) and Sting, the sword carried by Frodo, the elven-forged blade that turned blue when orcs were near.

Of course, one of the more badass characters in Lord of the Rings was Legolas, who didn’t carry a sword.  He was pretty handy at puncturing things with arrows, however.  And equally as handy with his two knives.  So let’s progress to some knife action and offer Legolas’s twin blades for your weaponry consideration.  These knives feature full-tang construction and sharpened stainless-steel blades.  The handles are oak with elven designs and they’re nicely displayed (when not busy eviscerating orcs) on a handsome wooden plaque.

Rambo First Blood 25th Anniversary Knife

As long as we’re on knives, let’s move on to one of the most famous movie knives in history — the “hunting” knife that Rambo used to take on the town of Hope in Rambo: First Blood.   Get the Rambo First Blood 25th Anniversary Edition Knife from Swords.com.  The blade is stainless steel and it includes a compass and survival kit.  Get this knife and you, too, can take on prejudiced, backwater police.

That's a knife

 And now for the knife used to the most humorous effect ever (for a knife) in a movie:  the bowie knife (on steroids) carried by Crocodile Dundee (“That’s a knife!”). 

Sweeney Todd's razor

We’ll wrap up our tour of cool fictional edged weapons (that have become real), with the instrument used by one notorious fellow:  Sweeney Todd’s razor (the movie version with Johnny Depp), with which he dispatched his unsuspecting victims.

The swords and knives reviewed here are some of the best of all movie and TV replicas.  But there are many more available from a variety of productions, from The Prince of Persia to Predator to Pirates of the Caribbean.  Continue exploring at True Swords, Swords.com, and Budk.

If you have found something interesting or useful here on Best Stuff for Men, please consider making a donation, so others can benefit, too.  Thanks!

Related posts:

1. Father’s Day: Get Something Good for Your Dad (or Yourself)
2. Kitchen Knives for a Lifetime of Cooking Adventures

Here’s a wide variety of Father’s Day gift ideas.  As you go through them, consider nabbing something for yourself.

Wait a minute…  Get a gift for yourself for Father’s Day? Sure.  When it comes to Father s Day gifts, if you get something for yourself, you know you’ll get what you want.  Besides, why not celebrate your own fatherhood?  You can do that even if you don’t have kids.  After all, every mature man is a sort of “father”:  an originator of ideas, shepherd of projects, creator of art, instigator of adventures.  And if you do have kids, if you get a cool gift for yourself, you’ll be able to enjoy it along with your kids’ heartfelt (hopefully), competent (or not) gifts — their attempts to express their appreciation for your love, guidance, and encouragement.

Of course, you want to get a good gift for your own dad for Father’s Day, something that expresses your gratitude for his presence and influence in your life.  I say “hopefully,” because Father’s Day can often be kind of an afterthought when it comes to parents’ days.  Mother’s Day gets most of the headlines.  Father’s Day seems to come in second in the popularity polls.  The cliché of dad always getting a necktie for Father’s Day is a cliché because it’s true.  But your dad deserves some consideration when it comes to gifts, doesn’t he?  To jump-start some ideas, following are suggestions for gifts that don’t suck — things he will actually enjoy and use.

Let’s start with a classic gift idea that can’t miss:  a wristwatch, and for a good price (he’ll appreciate your sensibleness).  Watches are useful, stylish and, when you think about it, cool pieces of technology.  (There’s a reason they’re given on important occasions such as  graduation and retirement.)  Every day, ChronoShark offers a new watch at the absolutely lowest price anywhere.  You only get 24 hours to nab it.

I have a dedicated page to ChronoShark here).  And if today’s watch deal doesn’t do it for you, there’s a good chance that tomorrow’s will — they select from the best when it comes to performance versus price.  You could also try an excellent online retailer of watches:  Discount Watch Store.  They have thousands of watches for men, good customer service, guarantee the lowest prices on the Internet, and offer free shipping on all orders.

Polar FT7

Along the same lines as a watch, but a little more specialized and beneficial — how about a heart-rate monitor?  Here’s a heart-rate monitor that’s well-reviewed:  the Polar FT7.  Outside magazine, among others, recommends it (“intuitive and powerful”).  It has everything you need and nothing you don’t, and the price is right.  Plus it’s cool-looking.  Encourage your dad to achieve his fitness goals.  Find the Polar FT7 at REI or Moosejaw.  And if you want something more top-of-the-line, check out the Garmin Forerunner 110, which adds GPS capability to workout monitoring.

Everybody likes 007.  Whether your dad is trying to get fitter or not, guys appreciate action (even if it’s vicarious), and quintessential manly action has always been carried out by James Bond.  Get your dad a complete set of James Bond movies.  Here’s Volume 1:

You can also find the complete collection of Bond movies on both DVD and Blu-ray at CD Universe, one of the best online sources for music and movies at good prices.

Or would he rather have a TV series?  See my post on the best television series for men availale on DVD and blu-ray (for example:  The Wire and Fawlty Towers).

With regard to relating to women (your mom or whoever), a good cologne is always appropriate (unless she’s got MCS, in which case there’s a whole ‘nother set of things to worry about besides smelling good).  I have found only a few that seem to be universally appreciated by the opposite sex and here’s one of them:  Marc Jacobs for Men.  In my own informal polling, I’ve always had positive responses (I try it on at the store and ask random women if they like it).  It’s also endorsed by the PUA community, and they should know, right?  You can get it for an excellent discount from FragranceX.

Every guy should have at least one multitool.  They’re handy and confidence-inducing.  Here’s one that the editors of Outside endorsed as a practical, everyday choice:  the Leatherman Squirt PS4 (can’t go wrong with anything from Leatherman).  It’s got 9 tools (including pliers and scissors) in a compact form that isn’t annoying to carry around (just 2¼ inches closed).  And it’s only about $40 (or less).  Get it from REI.  Or from Massey’s Professional Outfitters.

The sword of William Wallace

Here is something that is not a multitool.  It’s a single-purpose tool:  William Wallace’s sword from the movie Braveheart.  Of course, this is not an actual battle sword ( for that you need to go to Swords.com or Budk), but it is an impressive 61-inch replica in high-carbon steel — the most accurate prop replica ever made of this sword.  It comes with a display plaque.  Inspire your dad with the formidable weapon that helped establish freedom!

 Guys need a top-drawer pair of knockaround pair of shoes, whether for late-night ramblings along urban streets or stalking across frosty stubble pursuing a great telephoto shot of a wild turkey.  Fortunately, Timberland has a classic pair of chukka boots that fit the bill — the Eastern Standard Chukka (that’s them above) – a vintage style based on shoes that first appeared decades ago, made with premium Horween leather, hand-finished for a rustic look, with coarse waxed cotton laces and a Vibram outsole.  Intended to protect a man’s feet during diverse activities, while simultaneously making him look good.  Get them from Timberland.  Made in the USA.

And if you don’t think these boots are exactly your dad’s cup of tea (or you don’t know his shoe-size), then get him a gift certificate to Zappos and let him choose his preferred footwear.  That goes for all the companies linked to on this page – if you’re not sure about a specific item, get a gift certificate:  it always fits and is totally in style.

Kansas City Steak Company

You get hungry after a day of stomping around in your boots, swinging your sword, and when a man gets hungry, the food of choice is meat (unless he’s a vegetarian — in which case, well, get him a carrot).  Anyway, if you want to treat your dad to a premium steak or other great hunk o’ beef, you can’t go wrong with the Kansas City Steak Company — one of the best online companies for steak and other meats.  And of course they’re offering some good deals now — for example, get 8 Classic Steakburgers FREE with a $100 order (use code ABRG84 at checkout).  And get $4.95 shipping on all orders. This makes a mouthwatering gift…

Savile Row, London

You want your dad to look good and, believe it or not, he wants to look good, so how about getting him a shirt or two from one of the most renowned shirt makers in the world:  Savile Row.  They offer exquisite tailoring, use the finest cottons, and carry a variety of styles (all posh).  Right now, if you buy 2 shirts you can get a third for half price (through June 21st only).   They also carry men’s suits, casual wear, and accessories.  Which means you can get him — yes! — a tie.  But Savile Row ties are pretty cool.  They have a 3-month satisfaction guarantee.  Shipping to the US is only $21 and is free on orders over $175.  And, for the quality, their prices are quite reasonable. Click the banner below.

A laser-engraved flask makes a personalized gift

We’ve handled your dad’s steak needs but what about when he gets thirsty?  I’m not talking about when he needs a bit of agua after running a 10K.  No, I’m talking about when he needs a drop of something a little more flavorful.  For that, he doesn’t want to carry a Camelbak.  He’ll need something a bit more sophisticated:  a flask.  And why not get him one that’s laser-engraved with art or a message of your choosing?  This will be a gift that keeps on giving.  See more flasks than you can shake a stick at at the FlaskShop, including photo flasks, stainless steel, novelty flasks, leather designs, monogrammed, and martini shaker sets (which he can use while unwinding with a Bond movie).

TaylorMade R9 Driver at InTheHole Golf

Your father must have a few hobbies.  Is one of them golf?  If so, my commiseration.  No, just kidding…  My 81-year-old dad plays golf and loves it.  I know he always enjoys upgrading his equipment.  So why not get your dad a new club or something else from InTheHole Golf, one of the best online destinations for everything you need to play the Game of Gentlemen.  Check out the TaylorMade R9 driver — an advanced, adjustable design that is getting rave reviews.  Or maybe he just needs a new golf bag (consider the Ogio Nexos Stand Bag).   Or simply get him a gift certificate.  You can’t go wrong at InTheHole Golf.  Their helpful, informative website will help you choose a great gift.

And, from now until June 20, get 10% off for Father’s Day at IntheHoleGolf — just enter code DAD at checkout.

This is not your dad.

Of course, maybe your dad’s inclination is toward a sport that’s a little more mano-a-mano (as opposed to mano-a-course-o).  How about tennis?  Does he need a new tennis racket?  Then the place to get it for a good price, with a wide selection, is Tennis Boom.  Of course, if your budget is limited you could always just go with a can of balls.

The Daiwa Saltiga Surf Spinning Reel is one of the best

Or maybe your dad prefers the contest between man and fish.  A new rod or surf reel could be in order.  Find a huge selection of fishing equipment, from fly-fishing to deep-sea trolling, at Cabelas, the premier outdoor recreation/adventure outfitter, all offered with excellent customer service.

Utrecht Master's Studio Easel - on sale for over $100 off

Is your dad a visual artist?  Remember how I mentioned that a man can be the ”father” of art?  Well, if your dad fits that category, you can get art supplies and equipment for him at Utrecht.  They’ve been supplying equipment and materials for artists since 1949.

They are currently offering their Master’s Studio Easel for an excellent discount.

Click for exclusive designs at Sunglass Hut

Now that we’re coming into summer, every guy, including your dad, needs some cool shades to wear with shorts and Hawaiian shirts.  You can’t get cooler (or higher quality) than Ray-Ban (and Maui Jim).   See an excellent selection of Ray-Ban models, including one-of-a-kind designer styles such as those done by graphic designer and muralist Matt Moore above, at Sunglass Hut.   A pair of Ray-Bans, whether wayfarers or aviators, is a can’t-miss gift.

Click to see the Droids at Wirefly

A new phone — something he can use to call you or just surf the web.  The new iPhone is about to come out and the Google Nexus One is getting rave reviews.  Those aren’t the only excellent phones out there — the various Droid phones are also top-of-the-line.  Is it about time for your dad to have a cool communication/Web/photo/GPS machine that won’t break the bank?  Find many good selections at Wirefly (such as the Droid Incredible pictured at left, or the featured model in the banner below).

Maybe your dad isn’t much of a gamer.  But he could be, especially when he finds out about the cool sports games you can play on the Nintendo Wii.  Or he is a gamer but he hasn’t gotten around to getting the Wii yet.  Or he’s gotten a Wii but he doesn’t have Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 yet.  In any event, get him one or all of these things and he’ll have fun.  Include Resident Evil 4, too (also find it here).  And don’t forget Super Mario Galaxy 2 (about which CNET wrote:  “…the new standard against which every 3D platformer must now be judged”).  You can also find the Nintendo Wii in black at Buy.com, plus a bunch of accessories.

MEZZI WOODLine Aluminum Briefcase

When you combine style, a cool gadget, and uniqueness, you’ve got an unbeatable combination for a gift.  And that’s what you get with the   MEZZI WOODLine Aluminum Briefcase — a well-made aluminum briefcase with a wood finish and a chrome handle from Mezzi.com.  The WOODLine Aluminum Briefcase was featured on Mission Impossible 3.  (Mezzi has supplied cases for a number of TV shows and films, including all those nifty silver cases on Deal or No Deal.)  This briefcase is made of high-quality aluminum and has chromed corners.  The black interior has 4 compartments, 3 pen/pencil holders, customizable foam, and will securely hold a laptop of up to 17 inches.  It’ll keep your dad’s stuff safe with a dual keypad combination lock.  And he will own the most distinctive briefcase of anyone he knows.  MEZZI makes stylish, durable briefcases at sensible prices.  Check the customer reviews for this case on their site.  You can also read an independent review of another MEZZI case — the LuxSlim Aluminum Laptop case in black — at Gear Diary, if you want additional input about their products.  But really, all you need to know is that, in addition to Mission Impossible 3, the WOODLine Aluminum Briefcase was featured on NBC’s Chuck (one of my favorite shows).

Top 30 Bestselling Signed Books at Abebooks

Does your father like to read?  All readers enjoy having a book signed by the author.  And you can find a whole bunch of signed editions at Abebooks.  Here’s a link to the latest, most popular signed editions at Abebooks.  If you don’t see an author that you know your dad likes on that page, use the Abebooks search function here to search for signed editions by authors you know he’s a fan of.  It makes for a cool, one-of-a-kind gift.  And here’s something especially for Father’s Day:  books by father and son writing teams.

Subscribe for under $12 for a year

Then again, maybe your dad is a reader but he doesn’t like books.  He likes his reading short, practical, entertaining, and with plenty of pictures.  In that case, get him a subscription to a car magazine.  Every guy likes car magazines.  Me, I like Car & Driver best.  But hey, some people swear by Road & Track and AutoWeek.  Also check other titles at University Subscription Service, which is one of my favorite online discount magazine subscription services (along with Blue Dolphin).  You can’t beat the prices and the service is good.  And a magazine subscription is a gift that keeps on giving every month.  And don’t you want to let your father how much your care about him every month?

Happy Father’s Day!

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Here you’ll find everything you need to start your garden, whether you’re growing vegetables, flowers, herbs, or a combination of plants.  Here you can obtain seeds, gardening tools, containers, soil, information…  Everything but a green thumb.

However, if you take advantage of the informational resources linked to below, you’ll eventually develop the green thumb, too.  Check out the books and magazines on gardening and horticulture, as well as the instructional videos and the list of the best gardening websites.  Everything you need to know to get your garden growing is covered here.

How one man sought to feed himself and his family on an 800-sq.-ft. urban lot

When you think about it, T. S. Eliot had April all wrong — it’s not the cruelest month; it’s the month of possibility, when the soil is warming and seeds are beginning to stir.  It’s the month of renewed potential.  And you can take advantage of it by getting your garden started now.  Then you can enjoy the fruits of your labor all summer long and into the fall (and during the winter if you do some canning or preserving).  Plus your friends and neighbors will enjoy it, too, especially if you plant zucchini (which you can never eat all of).

Anyway, Eliot wasn’t much of a gardener.

And it just so happens that April is National Gardening Month.  So with all that springtime momentum going for you, it’s time to get started.

First, you need something to plant, and for that Generic Seeds has you covered.

Seeds

Generic Seeds carries a wide variety of seeds — all non-GMO (genetically modified organism) – for low prices.  They have vegetable seeds, herbs, and flowers.  They carry heirloom and open-pollinated seeds.  (Open pollination is the natural, uncontrolled way that some plants reproduce, as opposed to cross-pollination that produces hybrids.  Open pollination can produce varied plants that adapt to local conditions.  These plants also produce seed that can be saved and used from one generation to the next.)   All of their products are guaranteed.  Many start at only $1.39 for a packet that contains more seeds than you’ll usually find in commercial seed packets, and they offer free shipping on orders over $20.

Click to get Golden Bantam Open Pollinated Corn Seed from Generic Seeds

To the right is an example of one of their open-pollination varieties of corn — the Golden Bantam, which produces kernels that are tender, milky, and an excellent source of vitamins and minerals.

Click here, or on the banner below to explore their site…

Generic Seeds carries over 30 varieties of tomato seeds.

Click to explore tomato varieties at Generic Seeds

More than 35 varieties of peppers….

Peppers

Carrots

6 varieties of carrots…

And more beans than you can shake an aerator at…

Bush beans and pole beans

Cimmaron Romaine Heirloom Lettuce Seeds

Check out their collection of valuable heirloom seeds:

And of course they have many varieties of flower seeds as well, along with seeds to grow an entire herb garden, including a culinary herb kit…

And to get those seeds started, you can take advantage of all their growing supplies, including domed sprouting trays…

Jiffy-Dome sprouting tray from Generic Seeds

And if you need something to actually put the seeds in to start them – i.e., dirt — or you’re going to be doing some indoor gardening, you can find potting soil here and here.

Garden Tools

To work that soil, cultivate, weed, prune, and so forth, you’ll need tools.  There are a number of fine companies that make good gardening tools.  One thing to look for is the use of forged stainless steel, and in that regard you can’t do any better than Corona Tools — an industry leader, setting the standard for tools for both professional and home gardeners for  over 80 years.  (See a video review of one of their products below.)  You can find an excellent selection of Corona Tools from Sears and Buy.com for good prices, including an extendable-handle cultivator that telescopes to improve your reach and comfort (see video review of an earlier model from Corona below).

You’ll probably need a shovel to get started.  Sears carries an excellent, all-purpose Craftsman long-handle, round-point shovel with a fiberglass handle that is inexpensive, versatile, and  rugged:

Craftsman round-point shovel with fiberglass handle

Maybe you’re working with clay, however, so you might to start with a mattock.  Here’s a rugged Craftsman mattock with a 5-pound head: 

For further tilling the soil, try a spading fork, and when it comes time to start planting, you can use this versatile Corona Planting Mattock…

Click to see the Mantis Electric Mini-Tiller/Cultivator from Sears

Of course, you just might want a power rototiller:

To move dirt and stuff around, a wheelbarrow is indispensable – or better yet, a garden cart (easier to lift, dumps easily, etc.):

Lifetime Yard Cart

For that, get a Lifetime Yard Cart.  It holds 10 cubic feet of soil or whatever you need to haul around — up to 650 pounds in weight.  It’s got side pockets to hold tools, as well as cup holders.  (You can’t beat a wheelbarrow with cup holders!)  It will convert to a towable trailer and the bed lifts and tilts forward easily to dump loads.

Here are general links to the best sources of garden tools, equipment, accessories, and products on the Web:

• BIC Warehouse
• Sears Lawn and Garden
• Capitol Supply
• Buy.com
• Safer Brand
• Gardener’s Supply Company
  

In addition to the list of companies above, you should also spend some time browsing through the gardening section of Green and More for environmentally-friendly garden products, including composters, rain barrels, and greenhouses. If you really want to get more environmentally-friendly with your gardening — and your lifestyle in general — Green and More has what it takes.

Note:  Save 10% on any order at GreenandMore.com using coupon code SPRING2011GAMCJ. Enter code at checkout.  Expires 5/31/11.

Dual Batch Compost Tumbler from Gardener's Supply

Information for developing your green thumb — planting, seed starting, how to grow specific types of plants, and more

Speaking of having what it takes, I mentioned that you would be able to find here things that would help you develop a green thumb.  There’s no need to be intimidated when it comes to starting a garden.  There’s a ton of free info on the web, and there are magazines and books that can help you get started, solve problems, inspire you, give you new ideas, and answer your questions.

For example, if you can grow plants in Colorado’s harsh conditions, you can grow them just about anywhere.  Accordingly, you should check out this series of gardening videos offered by the Daily Camera, Boulder, Colorado’s local newspaper.  Carol O’Meara, a horticulturalist and agricultural extension agent at Colorado State University, tells you pretty much everything you need to know to get your garden started, including how to plant peas, spinach, lettuce, rhubarb, and horseradish.  Click here to see the series.  Below is an example of the videos.  This one shows how to start seeds…

Carol mentions what to shop for to create your garden — tools, seeds, equipment, etc. — and you can actually find all that stuff through the links in this post.  Why go out and drive all over town when you can get everything online, delivered to your door?

Here’s an article on seed starting from the Mother Earth News website.  Mother Earth News is one of the premier sources of information on organic gardening, traditional skills, green living, self-sufficiency, alternative energy, home businesses, and related topics.  Just about any gardener can find something useful in this publication.

 List of the Best Websites On Gardening

On the web, in addition to the National Gardening Association, one of the best places for regularly-updated info on gardening is Marie Iannotti’s page at About.com: Gardening.  She has put together many how-to articles. 

Another site worthy of exploration is WebGarden, created by Ohio State University.  They have a searchable database of plant photos, over 200 videos explaining many aspects of gardening, and 800 questions on gardening answered in their FAQ section. 

You can get many of your personal questions answered by going to the Helpful Gardener Gardening Forum (a Business Week “Best of the Web” winner). 

And finally, check Dave’s Garden for a vast array of articles, videos, and 253 forums on gardening.

Informative and Inspiring Gardening Magazines

In addition to Mother Earth News, there are several other excellent magazines on gardening that will inspire you and help with everything from planting to canning your produce.  Click on the images to below to check them out and subscribe — often for a good discount:

Organic Gardening -- the grandaddy of organic gardening publications

For serious gardeners who want to get better

Country Gardens offers comprehensive info on a wide variety of gardening topics

Excellent photos and the info will have you saving each issue

 Best Books on Gardening  (tried-and-true gardening classics)

And then there are the books.  There are almost as many books on gardening as there are cookbooks, but you only need three to get started.  Each is a classic.  Here they are (click the images):

Those three will get you started with all of the basics and more.  If you live in the west, you should get Sunset’s Western Garden Book instead of the National Garden Book.  It’s the go-to guide for western gardeners, from beginners to experts.

Finally, here’s a video of Manny Howard, who undertook a project to feed himself and his family for a month on what he could produce from a small plot of land in the middle of Brooklyn.  He didn’t know much about gardening but he’d heard about the localization movement and decided to delve into it.  He taught himself the basics, learned through trial and error, and things were looking pretty good.  Then the tornado hit.  That wasn’t the end, though…  He wrote a book about his experience.  Gardeners, and anyone who attempts to push the envelope, should find it fascinating (that’s the book’s cover at the top of this post).

Best of luck with your own empire of dirt, large or small.

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I’d hammer in the mornin’.  But not too early because my neighbor works 60 hours a week and he doesn’t want me pounding nails when he’s trying to sleep on the weekend.

Every man needs a hammer.  (Really, you don’t want to have to borrow one from your neighbor.)  And since you need one, why not get one of the best for a good price?

Whether for hanging pictures or framing a house, when it’s time to hit something with a point on one end (tack, nail, brad, your brother’s head (no, just kidding)), a hammer is the tool of choice (and one that’s been around for over 2 million years).  Do not try to put up a towel rack using the flat side of a stapler to hit the nails.  Keep a decent hammer around your place, for Pete’s sake.

So, who makes the best hammers and where can you get them?  And what kind should you get?  (Wait — you mean there are different kinds of hammers?)  Most people think of a hammer as having a flat face  for striking and a two-pronged thingy on the other side…  That’s a claw hammer (as opposed to formerly-popular hip hop musician MC Hammer).  A claw hammer is fine for most jobs.  If you need a special hammer — a ball-peen, say, or a soft-faced mallet — then you probably already know that’s what you need.  If you don’t know what a ball-peen hammer is, you don’t need one (it’s a hammer with a flat face on one side of the head and a ball on the other, usually used for metal work).  Most household uses for hammers involve working with wood or drywall.  So start with a claw hammer, preferably with a smooth face for striking, since if you miss the nail it won’t leave a “waffle” indentation in the wood from a milled face.   Of course, if you never miss the nail, that won’t be a problem.  There are many different designs, sizes, and models of claw hammers.  For everyday projects — household tasks, occasional carpentry, building a birdhouse, DIY, etc. — you want one that’s not too heavy (probably not over 20 oz.), with a handle that’s not too long.

Here are a couple of  versatile hammers that will meet your needs for a reasonable price…

This reliable Estwing hammer is under $30

This is the Estwing E16S 16-ounce Straight Claw Leather Handle Hammer.  In business since 1923, Estwing is an esteemed American manufacturer of hammers.   When it comes to quality and utility, Estwing’s reputation is second to none.  And their prices are very reasonable.  The head and handle are one piece of forged steel, with a comfortable leather grip.  It’s well-balanced, and a little over 12 inches in length.  The head is more of a rip claw design, as opposed to the more classic, sharply curved claw head.  The rip design is more versatile; it lets you pull nails in more cramped quarters.  You can get this hammer, use it a lot, and expect to leave it to your descendants.  I use an Estwing steel hammer (with a rubber grip) and have no complaints.  Here are some of the online customer comments about this hammer:

“My framing hammer is an Estwing… my general shop hammer is an Estwing… and now my furniture hammer is an Estwing.  These hammers don’t break or EVER fail.  You lose them or your friends ‘borrow’ them and you have to get new ones.”

“I have and have used a wide variety of hand tools.  I can tell you that this product is made of the highest quality, and will give you a lifetime of good service with minimal maintenance.”

“Estwing’s leather grip is excellent and the one-piece construction helps minimize bounce and shock.  The hammers have a good heft AND balance in the hand…”

The Estwing is an inexpensive hammer that you will find a pleasure to own and use.

Warrington Hammer -- about $25 at BIC Warehouse

If you’d like a lighter-weight hammer around the house for those finicky jobs in tight spaces, or when you want to drive something like a brad or tack, this hammer should fit the bill:  the Robert Larson 10-ounce Warrington Hammer.  “Warrington” is actually a style of hammer that originated in Warrington, England and is often used for cabinet work or joinery.  It has a flat, narrow ”pin” on one side (instead of a claw) that allows you to start brads and nails that are smaller than the width of your thumb — that is, it will get down there between your fingers so you can start the nail, then flip the hammer around to finish driving it.  (If you try to start a tiny nail that’s less wide than your thumb with a conventional hammer — well, try it and see what happens.)  This hammer would also be a good one to give to your kids to let them learn how to nail.  It’s light weight and easily handled.  And at about $20, it’s not expensive.

And when your construction jobs become a little bigger…

Vaughan V5 professional hammer

This is a relatively new hammer from Vaughan – an American company that’s been in business since 1869.  (They know a thing or two about hammers.)  The patented “V5″ design helps reduce shock and vibration when using this all-steel framing hammer.  The Vaughan V5 has a “Double D” magnetic nail holder for one-handed starting of nails and a “Sidewinder” nail puller (located on the side of the head), which provides extra leverage for removing nails.  When it’s time to tear something down, the short claws are reinforced to provide extra strength for prying.  Vaughan touts this hammer as suitable for ”construction to destruction.”  The head weighs 19 ounces, with a milled face (it’s also available in smooth face here), and the handle is 17 inches long.   Click here to see a description from Vaughan, including a video.  Or watch the video below, which is from the 2009 National Hardware Show and describes the V4, which is the generation before the V5.  (And here’s that Vaughan hook bar, in case you’ve got a lot of nail-pulling to do.)

Dalluge makes excellent, reasonably-priced titanium hammers

Gerald Dalluge (pronounced duh-LOO-gee) was a carpenter who started designing hammers after an injury on a job site.  His hammers became known for their balance, striking power, and a head-to-handle weight ratio so precise that it feels like you’re swinging a lighter hammer.  He eventually sold his company to Vaughan Manufacturing.  If you’re a tradesman — or you know a tradesman you’re shopping for — you cannot get a better hammer than the Dalluge DDT16P 16-ounce Titanium Hammer.  As I noted in my post on kitchen knives,  anything made with titanium is cool.  In a hammer, it is 40% lighter than steel and causes less recoil when striking, though it strikes just as hard, and will not corrode.  The Dalluge DDT16P 16-ounce Titanium Hammer has a one-piece, precision-cast titanium head and a straight hickory handle with an overstrike guard for increased durability.  It has a side nail puller and a magnetic nail holder for starting nails (you’ll note a similarity in design to the Vaughan design above).   The handle is 17 inches.  The DDT16P has a smooth face and you can get it with a serrated face, too.   Customers who reviewed this hammer have been enthusiastic:

“I have been a framing contractor for 19 years, always in search of the ‘perfect hammer.’  This Dalluge titanium hammer is currently the best one on the market.  With this hammer you get the best of everything at a great price.  I don’t care what people say, wood handles are still the best, they are light, strong, easily replaceable and about as anti-vibration as you can get…”

“This hammer works great!  It feels lighter than a Stiletto hammer and swings with more ease.  The handle and head design are second to none as far as I am concerned.”

“OK so I am a DIY’er, but I have a few friends that are professional carpenters.  After using a few of their titanium hammers, I decided I wanted one!  The Stiletto’s were way too expensive for my use, but the Dalluge was a good price for a well-reviewed product.  Now that I have it, I love it.  Light, feels good in your hand and very sure and solid.  Worth the extra few bucks over a steel hammer.   Hopefully, I will never need to buy another hammer!”

“A great hammer for a pro carpenter.”

 

What if you want to hammer something without leaving a scratch?

Dead blow hammer set

Of course there are hammers made for that, as well.  If you want to loosen frozen parts on your car, bang in a hub cap (or loosen the wheel knockoffs on a 1966 E-type Jaguar), or hit masonry or concrete and not get a lot of chips and extraneous cracking, then you’ll want to use a soft-face mallet, or what is known as a “dead-blow” hammer.  Dead-blow hammers usually have something loose inside the head — such as lead or sand — to absorb the rebound so the hammer isn’t bouncing around and hitting things you don’t want it to hit, plus it concentrates the force of the blow straight downward.  It’s very handy when you want to hit something that you don’t want to chip, scratch, or otherwise mar.  Pictured at left is an inexpensive set of dead blow hammers — the Astro Pneumatic 3-piece Dead Blow Hammer Set.  You get a ½-pound, 1-pound, and 2-pound hammer with this set, all for less than $25.  The soft faces of the hammers do not mar work surfaces, the heads are filled with metal pellets to increase force and dampen rebound, and the handle is contoured for a non-slip grip.  They are suitable for all types of assembly and repair work.  Astro is a well-known name in automotive repair circles.  One auto mechanic who reviewed these hammers said:  “I’m a mechanic and go through mallets pretty fast, these are lasting nicely, worth the money.”  Another DIYer said:  “This is a great set of dead-blows — I was surprised at how much I actually use each different size.”  When you need them, they’re indispensable.

When you really need to pound on something, a sledge hammer fits the bill…

Okay, not everyone needs a sledge hammer, but it’s reassuring to have one around, just in case you need to turn masonry into rubble, split wood with a wedge, drive in fence posts, or pound on a monster truck tire as part of your workout.

Click for the Union Tools 10-pound sledge hammer -- great for pounding wedges or hitting a truck tire

Here is the Union Tools Double-face 10-pound Sledge Hammer with a fiberglass handle.  Union Tools has been making professional-grade tools since 1936.  This Razor-Back sledge hammer is suitable for jobs requiring heavy pounding.  The 10-pound forged steel head is light enough for accurate control but heavy enough to give a hard whack. 

The fiberglass handle is super-tough, light in weight, and smooth.  It will provide a secure connection to the head, unlike wood which can loosen over time.  This top-quality sledge hammer has a limited lifetime warranty.  Go ahead…make some gravel.  (Just remember your eye protection.)

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Administrators for the Boy Scouts in the United Kingdom have decided that Scouts should no longer carry penknives to camp.   

See this article in the Telegraph.

Aren’t Boy Scouts supposed to learn how to function in the woods in the absence of full modern infrastructure?  Not so much anymore, I suppose, at least in the UK.  Boy Scouts used to be able to carry a sheath knife on their belt as part of their uniform.  But that was nixed back in 1968.  They could still carry a pocket knife, though.  (You know the kind – it’s not inconceivable you have a pocket knife with a Scout emblem on it lying around somewhere.)  Scout leaders have now put the kabosh on that as well.  People in Great Britain are worried about knife violence.  So, doesn’t it follow that Boy Scouts should no longer carve wood or split firewood with knives?  I guess they’ll have to make do by using their teeth.  Unless one or two people in Great Britain start biting other people.  Then they’ll probably make the Boy Scouts leave their teeth at home as well.

A Scout spokesperson stated: 

“Scouting helps to prepare young people with valuable life skills, while keeping them safe by not carrying knives.  We believe that young people need more places to go after school and at weekends, where they can experience adventure without the threat of violence or bullying and the need to carry weapons.”

A knife is only a weapon?  So it makes sense that Boy Scouts need to be protected from criminals who carry knives by not being allowed to carry knives themselves.  Very, very logical there, British Boy Scout officials.  And, of course, there’s always the concern about when a Scout will explode into a rampage of knife-wielding mayhem – carving an ashtray or whittling a heart with an arrow through it in a tree or something. 

The next obvious step in the UK will probably be to tell Scouts to just stay at home.  Then they can experience “adventure” completely safely (unless the house is hit by a meteorite).  One never knows what may happen if you step outdoors.   Sitting at home on the couch, the risk of harm will be greatly reduced.

Never mind that humans have been using knives for 2.5 million years  (including Boy Scouts until a few days ago).  That was obviously a risky business.  It’s a wonder humanity has made it this far.  It’s a wonder that anybody is left alive.  Of course, this attempt to reduce danger is in keeping with the spirit of our times.  If it isn’t “safe” — and obviously if criminals are associated with it in any way it is patently unsafe — it must be prohibited, discouraged, abolished.  Who needs doughtiness and resoucefulness, when all you really need to do is go to the supermarket and watch TV?  Who needs to learn real survival skills?

Of course, if you tend to disagree with this stance, you could express your opinion by, say, sending a couple of pocket knives to your favorite British Boy Scout.  Before he becomes extinct due to the lack of respect, sensibleness, and positive practicality on the part of his “leaders.”  Better yet, pay his tuition to knife-throwing school.  Then at least he’ll have something to do while he sits at home alone in his room.

Here’s a link that you might call “ironic”:

Feel like buying a knife?  Feel like cutting something?  Click one of the banners below…

 *Note:  If you click on the Brad Pitt image at top, it will take you to a site where you can see and buy an actual, serious Outrider Bowie Knife  — but it’s not the knife from the movie (that’s a prop).

And if you click on the photo below, you can get tickets to some dangerous movie…

Not Boy Scouts

Related posts:

1. Survival Knives
2. The Basics: Knives – Every Man Needs One or Three (and Multitools)

The single most common use for knives these days is in the kitchen.  If you’re cooking, you will definitely need a knife or two.  So, what are the best kitchen knives?  You will know after reading this review of high-quality knives to accompany your cooking adventures.  Plus you’ll know about helpful cutlery accessories you might want to add, such as knife-friendly cutting boards and sharpening steel.

 Guys are no longer running around the woods chasing down big game with a bowie knife (I’ve always cracked up at Jake Johanssen’s take on “knife season,” (see the 7:30 point…)), nor are most men silently taking out sentinels around a terrorist camp in the dead of night, but we are cooking and eating every day, and for that a good chef’s knife, paring knife, santoku knife, cleaver, and other cooking cutlery is indispensable.  Not to mention cutting boards, knife sharpeners, and cookbooks telling us how to use them.  The best of all these tools for cutting, peeling, slicing, and dicing add a lot to the ease and satisfaction of preparing food.

Click to begin creating your own feast

You’ve probably already got a few knives in your kitchen but chances are that not a lot of planning went into getting them.  For such a commonly-used tool as a kitchen knife, it’s too bad most guys don’t put more attention on obtaining the best.

You may not be a professional chef, but if you cook at all, you’re basically doing what a professional chef does when it comes to cutting up food, peeling vegetables, and slicing meat.  Good kitchen knives can add to the enjoyment of the whole cooking and eating experience.  Plus, it makes the job a heck of a lot easier.

In addition, as I’ve mentioned in my previous posts on knives every guy needs, a well-made knife is simply a satisfying object to own.

Here, in what amounts to “Kitchen Knives 101,” I’ll give some suggestions on how to acquire the best kitchen knives to use for your culinary tasks — knives you’ll be proud to own.  You can buy them all through this post from the best online retailers of kitchen equipment by clicking on the links and images of each type of knife listed below.

The first to thing to know is that you can pretty much meet your need for kitchen cutlery by having just 3 versatile knives.

You can get by with a santoku knife, a good paring knife, and a chef’s knife.  The best models and manufacturers of these types of knives are described below.  You don’t have to break the bank to buy good kitchen knives but keep in mind that a number of the best brands offer lifetime warranties, so that makes them a little more expensive.  Be aware that a top-rated, well-made kitchen knife can last for generations.

By the way, if you end up with knives from different manufacturers, don’t worry — any professional chef’s kitchen has the same diversity of kitchen cutlery and it just means you’re discriminating about your tools…

Santoku Knife

A santoku knife is the “utility infielder” of the kitchen knife team. It does a lot of things well.  After trying a santoku knife, many cooks would not be without one.

The shape of the santoku knife — kind of a combination of a cleaver and a chef’s knife — allows it to excel in the areas of slicing, dicing, and chopping, particularly vegetables and fruits, but it also works well with meats like fish and chicken, which you can slice very thinly with a santoku.

The thinness and sharpness of the blade also makes it easier to mince things (you can make mincemeat of, well, meat). Many santoku knives have a granton edge, which is a pattern of grooves along the side of the blade that creates air pockets so that vegetables and fruit tend to stick less to the blade as you’re slicing. Santoku knives often handle more easily than a heavier chef’s knife. You can get pretty fast with one after practice. About the only thing a santoku knife might not do well is chop through bones. And for slicing bread, a longer-bladed, serrated knife might work a little better.

Below are a couple of top-rated santoku knives.

Rachel Ray helped popularize the santoku knives made by Wusthof and for good reason: they’re excellent knives. For a knife of this quality, it’s also reasonably priced. It has a lifetime guarantee. The blade is high-carbon stainless steel with a granton edge, full tang, and the handle is triple-riveted polypropylene.

The Wusthof Gourmet 7-inch Santoku Knife with Granton Edge has become one of the most popular kitchen knives ever:

Wusthof Gourmet 7-inch Santoku Knife with granton edge

I’ve used this knife myself and particularly like its balance and maneuverability. Many other reviewers have praised this knife as well.

New York Magazine asked chef Masayoshi “Masa” Takayama to evaluate ten of the top santoku knives in the world. He tested them by chopping onions, slicing chicken, and mincing parsley — even slicing parchment paper. Of the Wusthof, he said that it was well-balanced and that “the blade is very thin, but in a good way, and it’s very sharp and cuts well. Ideal for slicing chicken and vegetables.” Cooks Illustrated magazine consistently rates these Wusthof knives at or near the top. Click here to see the entire collection of Wusthof Santoku knives at Cooking.com, including the top-rated Classic and the Ikon.

Below is another variation on the santoku. It is the Shun 7-inch Santoku Knife with Granton Edge. This knife was Blade Magazine’s 2008 “Kitchen Knife of the Year,” so I think it’s safe to say it’s one of the best kitchen knives.  It was also the number 1 knife on Chef Takayama’s list. It is made in Japan by Kai using the Damascus process, which produces a beautiful moiré pattern on the blade. It arrives from the factory exceedingly sharp. (Try cutting a tomato with this baby — it requires almost no pressure beyond the blade itself.)

Shun 7-inch Santoku Knife with granton edge

It has a little more rocker in the blade than many other santoku knives, so for those who prefer a bit of a compromise between the classic santoku straight edge and a conventional chef’s knife, this knife fits the bill.

It has stainless steel bolsters and buttcaps and a high-carbon stainless steel blade. The blade is clad with 16 layers of softer steel for durability, then etched to show the unique “Damascus” finish. The edge is harder than that found on most knives, allowing for extra sharpness.

Shun 7-inch Santoku Knife handle detail

The handle is made of Pakkawood and starts out as thin layers of white birch that are dyed black. The birch sheets are layered between sheets of plastic resin, then fused together under high heat and pressure. The result is a handle that looks and feels like wood but is dishwasher safe. The other unique feature of the handle is the design. The manufacturer calls it a “D”shape but it actually looks more like a tear drop. It has a distinct ridge that goes down the side of the handle that fits perfectly in the hand (for right-handers), as well as stabilizes the blade to prevent turning and twisting.

Though a little costlier than the Wusthof, the Shun 7-inch Santoku Knife is worth it for those who prefer the best. Modern materials (forged VG-10 steel blade clad with SUS410 high-carbon stainless steel) combined with a classic design make this a truly remarkable kitchen knife that will last a lifetime. It may not turn you into a master chef but when you use it you’ll feel like one. Find it at a good discount here.

Paring Knife

No cook can be without a paring knife; you can use them to do everything from peeling an apple to removing eyes from potatoes to de-veining shrimp — anything that requires precision and/or working in tight spaces. The blades are generally in the 3- to 4-inch range.

You can find a cheap-ass paring knife for about $9, but why do that to yourself? The steel won’t be great, you’ll be getting the low end of manufacturing quality, and it won’t last a lifetime. You can find really good-quality paring knives for not too much more.  A worthwhile paring knife will set you back about $40. Moving up, among the best paring knives you can find some that are works of art for double that amount. Below are several models to consider in order of cost and (IMHO) beauty.

Wusthof Classic 3.5-inch Paring Knife

First is the Wusthof Classic 3½-inch Paring Knife. It’s got a lifetime warranty, a high-carbon stainless steel blade, and a triple-riveted handle that is dishwasher safe. The blade has a pointed tip for tasks like digging the stems out of peppers, and a super-sharp, hand-polished edge. A great little knife that you can get for under $40 here.

Kershaw Shun 3.5-inch Paring Knife

Moving up a bit in quality, to the left is the outstanding Shun 3½-inch Paring Knife with a Damascus blade that’s razor-sharp right out of the box, Pakkawood handle, a piercing tip, and stainless-steel end cap and bolster. A knife that you’ll be proud to own and display in your kitchen. This is one you’ll want to hand-wash (as with most of your great kitchen knives, actually — why have them banging around in the dishwasher?). The VG-10 “super-steel” blade is composed of carbon, chromium, cobalt, manganese, molybdenum, silicon, and vanadium.Find it here.

Al Mar Paring Knife with Damascus blade

Now here is an exceedingly cool paring knife — the 3-inch Ultra-Chef from Al Mar. With a one-piece, hollow, stainless-steel handle and a blade that comprises 33 layers of steel surrounding a central cutting core made of VG-10 stainless that has been heat-treated to a Rockwell C-scale hardness of 60-62, this is the samurai sword of paring knives. It is exceedingly light and comfortable in the hand.

Each Al Mar knife is hand-finished and hand-sharpened at the factory. It comes gift-boxed from Japan. Al Mar is not necessarily a famous household name in the U.S. (except among professionals), but their manufactured knives rival custom, hand-made blades. Sure, the price reflects that, but for that price you get a work of art. Get one for yourself or as a gift for a discriminating cook here for a good discount. 

Click to see other great knives by Al Mar

Although expensive, Al Mar knives are worth every penny, especially for highly-trained chefs who are serious about what they do. One review posted online states: “It’s the best knife I’ve ever bought. Grade A+.”  Bottom line:  you cannot get a better kitchen knife than one from Al Mar.

Haiku 3.25-inch Paring Knife

Finally, here is a paring knife from Japan that is also quite stylish but in a more rustic — though no less high-quality — way: the Haiku 3¼-inch Paring Knife. These traditionally-styled Japanese knives feature handles made of honoki wood (the wood traditionally used to make the handles of Japanese swords), and have molybdenum/vanadium steel blades. Haiku knives have a bamboo peg (a “mekugi”) inserted into the side where the tang and handle are joined. This adds stability and is the same technique used by Japanese sword makers for hundreds of years. The 2005 and 2007 winners of the Bocuse d’Or (Serge Vieira and Fabrice Desvignes, respectively) were noted for using Haiku knives. This is a charming, mid-priced knife that can be found here for a good price.

Haiku 5-inch Utility Knife

Haiku also makes a fine 5-inch Utility Knife that is a little larger than a traditional paring knife and is suitable for a wide variety of cutting tasks in the kitchen. That’s it to the right. It can be purchased here.

Choosing one of the fine paring knives mentioned here will not disappoint even the most discriminating of cooks. When you think about it, there has probably never been as broad a selection of high-quality knives in the history of the world as you’ll find in the marketplace these days. As with many products, knives keep getting better while the price relative to quality goes down. And we still have the “star” of kitchen knives to consider…

The Chef’s Knife

Next we move on to the “Babe Ruth” of the kitchen-knife team: the burly chef’s knife. This is often the first thing that comes to mind when people think of the typical “kitchen knife.” It comes in handy for a wide variety of kitchen tasks, as well as in cheap slasher horror flicks.

Also known as a “French knife,” the chef’s knife is a general-purpose tool that can be used for slicing vegetables, meat, and cheese, mincing and chopping, as well as disjointing chickens and larger cuts of beef and ham (not to mention buffalo and ostrich). The blade can be anywhere from 6 to 14 inches in length (8″ is common), and features a pronounced curve toward the tip, which allows for a rocking technique when chopping or dicing. There are a lot of good chef’s knives on the market. I have used a number of different ones. Below are three to consider, in order of quality and prestige.

Forschner 8-inch Chef's Knife

Here’s a good “entry-level” chef’s knife that could serve you well for a long time — for a lifetime, actually, since it’s got a lifetime warranty: the Forschner 8-inch Chef’s Knife. It’s also sold under the Victorinox name (yes, the company that makes Swiss Army knives).

This knife was recommended by Cooks Illustrated as a best buy.

The knife is light-weight, with pretty good balance. It’s got a stamped, polished, high-carbon steel blade, and a taper ground with no bolster. Since it’s got no finger guard, you can easily hold it by the top of the blade, if you like that technique. It’s tempered to accept numerous sharpenings. The handle is made of a patented material called Fibrox that gives a good grip, even when wet. It’s certified by NSF International for commercial food service. Customer reviews praise this knife for the quality relative to the cost. It’s a good knife for around $30. If you’re watching your budget, start with the Forschner and you can upgrade down the road to one of the models below.

Okay, you’ve decided that you’re committed to having some of the best kitchen tools money can buy — or you’re looking for a great gift for a friend who’s a serious chef or a recent graduate from cooking school. In either case, consider one of the following two knives.

Shun Classic 10-inch Chef's Knife

First, the Shun Classic 10-inch Chef’s Knife. This is a large knife with a core of VG-10 super-steel clad with 16 layers of SUS410 high-carbon steel on each side, producing a 33-layer blade with the distinctive Damascus look. This knife is made in Seki City, Japan, known for hundreds of years as an important center for producing samurai swords, and you will probably feel like a samurai the first time you pick up this beautiful knife. At the least, you’ll feel like a kitchen pro. The knife features a Pakkawood handle and stainless steel bolsters and endcaps. The blade is sharpened to an astonishingly sharp 16 degrees. Go ahead — break down a whole turkey or split a hard squash, even slice bread; this knife can do it all (including more delicate slicing and mincing tasks). The additional leverage from the 10-inch blade is noticeable. Additionally, it will look impressive up on a magnetic strip on the wall of your kitchen — where any passing food-guy will note it appreciatively. This is the knife preferred by cookbook author and TV host Alton Brown.  Use it carefully — if you have not been exposed to a knife of this quality, you will not believe how sharp it is! For example, if you try to test the edge by running your thumb along it…well, probably not a good idea. Just use it a lot for cooking, treat it well (wash and dry by hand after use and sharpen as needed, preferably professionally). Find it here for a 20% discount. Guaranteed for life by Kershaw Shun. (Note: the handle of the Classic is optimised for right-handers. If you want a more “ambidextrous” knife, try the Shun Elite 8-inch Chef’s Knife. It’s more expensive, but it’s also made from SG-2 powdered steel, which makes for a blade with a state-of-the-art molecular structure.)

Ken Onion 8-inch Chef's Knife with Stand

And then we have the Ken Onion 8-inch Chef’s Knife — the only knife on this page that comes with a display stand. Why? Because in addition to being functional, it’s a work of art. It’s got those ergonomic yet organic curves going on. You won’t want to hide this knife in a drawer (not that you’ll want any of your fine knives banging around in a drawer with the rest of your everyday kitchen implements). If you’ve been reading these knife entries, you’ve probably gotten the impression by now that I like Ken Onion’s stuff. You’d be right. His designs are distinctive and he’s a multi award-winner. This knife is no exception. It was selected “Kitchen Knife of the Year” by Blade Magazine, and won awards at the 2005 Blade Show and International Cutlery Fair. Bon Appétit reviewed the knife and stated that it had good balance, making it easy to maneuver. The blade is VG-10 high-carbon stainless steel with a Damascus finish; the handle is Pakkawood. The handle is designed to minimize arm tension and provide increased safety during use. The shape of the blade allows for “gliding” the knife across the cutting surface and the bolster is angled to create space for your thumb and index finger for an efficient grip.

Ken Onion 8-inch Chef's Knife

In other words, the knife is both efficient and beautiful. Sure, it’s more expensive than other chef’s knives available out there but, aside from its outstanding quality, it’s distinctive and will last you a lifetime. That makes it a good value and a tool you’ll be proud to own. Alton Brown says that this knife has the sharpest straight-from-the-factory edge he’s ever seen. Try it for yourself! Find it here for a good discount.

That will cover the basics of your kitchen knife collection. Begin by getting the knife that will be the most useful — wherever the most glaring “hole” currently exists in your collection. If you’ve got a sort of acceptable chef’s knife, start with a santoku. Then move on to a paring knife. Or whatever you’ll use the most. Acquire one of the above knives every couple of months to spread the cost out over time. Or drop obvious hints before Christmas or your birthday. Eventually, you’ll have a set of kitchen knives that rivals that of a professional chef.

Beyond the Basics

Now, if you’ve already got some pretty good knives and you want to add something really exotic (yet functional) to your collection, consider the following deals:

Titanium Blades

Kasumi Titanium-coated 7-inch Santoku Knife

Just about anything made with titanium is cool. Titanium is light, strong, resists corrosion, and can withstand high temperatures. Who wouldn’t want to use it to make knives? Kasumi, located in Seki, Japan (800 years of samurai sword-making tradition) thought titanium made sense and produced these gorgeous knives that combine molybdenum/vanadium steel with a titanium coating, making for one of the sharpest possible knife edges. Titanium is non-toxic and does not generate the ferrous ions that can give food that “metallic” flavor from conventional steel knives. It’s abrasion-resistant and easy to care for in daily use. The abrasion-resistance also protects the steel, enabling the blade to maintain a razor-sharp edge for a longer time, yet it glides through food easily.

Kasumi Titanium-coated 3-inch Paring Knife

Pictured are Kasumi’s 7-inch Santoku and 3-inch Paring Knives. These lovely blue blades will generate conversation in your kitchen!

Ceramic Knives

Kyocera Revolution Ceramic Santoku and Paring Knives with black blades

And one more exotic set of tools to consider is ceramic knives. Some chef’s swear by them, especially this set from Kyocera — a 5½-inch Santoku and a 3-inch Paring Knife. The blades are made from zirconium oxide, an advanced ceramic second in hardness only to diamond. They are extremely sharp and will hold their edge for years without sharpening if handled correctly. They resist stains and rust and are chemically inert, meaning food acids will not affect them. They are also light in weight and easily handled. They come with a 5-year warranty from the manufacturer. The blades of the knives at left are black, which makes them kind of intimidating (in a good way). Just don’t drop them (they might shatter) or try to chop bones (the blade can chip). Anything else, though — slicing, dicing, mincing, julienning, cutting, trimming, seeding, and peeling — these knives will whip through. Considering their high-tech origin, the price is reasonable. Find them here. Use them only on a wooden or polyethylene cutting board (see below). If they ever need sharpening, you must send them back to Kyocera. These will also be a conversation-starter in your kitchen!

Meat Cleaver

Hardly anyone really needs a meat cleaver. Except maybe a butcher. Then again, you may frequently be cutting up chicken parts for stock or dealing with lobsters, so you might find it handy to have one. What is for sure is that there’s just something satisfying about having a big ‘ol cleaver hanging up on the wall of your kitchen, just sitting there all ready to use, powerful and unapologetically functional. So, for when you feel powerful and unapologetically functional, here’s a premium cleaver for your consideration:

Global 6.5-inch Meat Cleaver

This is the Global 6½-inch Cleaver. The blade is 6½ inches of stainless steel, ice-hardened and sharpened to a 15-degree angle. The three-piece construction — blade and two handle halves — are welded or forged (depending on the Global model) for a seamless, hygienic, uniquely balanced instrument of death. Global knives are known for their innovative design and quality. Cooks Illustrated rated this cleaver at the top. It has been praised by reviewers for its balance — heavy enough to cut without being tiring, light enough for maneuverability. What it does best is chop through just about anything. “Will split bone without chipping,” wrote one online reviewer. Another wrote, “It chops bones, bangs through half-frozen carcasses when necessary and is worth every penny.” Used by top-ranking chefs world wide. Find it here for almost no discount (Global knives rarely get discounted; but…worth every penny, remember).

Chroma Type 301 Cleaver

On the other hand, with regard to usefulness, there is the Chinese cleaver, which some cooks swear by. It’s sort of like a santoku on steroids. Used mainly for chopping vegetables and light meats (some cooks even employ two cleavers when mincing and turn their cutting board into a manual Cuisinart). It also mashes, scrapes, and scoops. Plus the better ones still look impressive. Especially the stainless steel Chroma Type 301 Chinese cleaver with 7″ blade (pictured at right). It was designed by F. A. Porsche (yes, the designer of the 911 sports car) with input from Austrian chef Jörg Wörther. Chef Wolfgang Puck uses Chroma knives in his home. This cleaver is beautiful (not necessarily a word you use often with cleavers) — functional, too, with a hand-ground blade and lifetime warranty. Find it here for a pretty good discount.

Honing and Sharpening Your Knives

It won’t do you any good to have the best kitchen knives in the world if they’re not sharp.  Aside from ceramic blades, knives — including all the steel models listed above — need occasional sharpening and regular honing. Honing — which smooths the blade — can be done at home with a steel.

When it comes to sharpening, many folks send their high-quality knives to a professional sharpener about once a year. You can try to sharpen them at home, but you should know what you’re doing or you may not get the best result.

Wusthof Classic 10-inch Sharpening Steel

Here is a high-quality steel you can use to hone your knives — the Wusthof Classic 10-inch Sharpening Steel (somewhat of a misnomer, since knives are best sharpened using stones and honed using steel). This is a good steel that’s not too expensive. You should hone your knives regularly. See below for a video on how to hone your knives. Remember, there’s a difference between honing (smooths the blade) and sharpening (reestablishes the blade angle).

You can sharpen your knives with a Smith's Sharpening System

Of course, it’s not impossible to sharpen your own knives and it’s a handy thing to know how to do. If you’d like to try sharpening your knives at home, you’ll need a good set of stones (heh). Electric knife sharpeners sometimes tend to not put the right angle on a blade and they also remove a fair amount of steel. So start with this set of hard and medium sharpening stones:  Smith’s Diamond Hone Sharpening System.  There are are two diamond sharpening stones and a medium Arkansas stone.  It includes a sharpening angles guide.   This is one of the best sharpening sets you can get and is suitable not only for kitchen knives but for pocket knives, hunting knives, and other edged tools.

Here’s the video on how to hone and sharpen knives:

Cutting Boards

Of course, when you’re cutting something you’ll need something appropriate to cut on. You don’t want to cut on a granite counter-top, glass, or a ceramic dinner plate (any of which will take the edge off your knives pretty quickly). You’ll want a good cutting board.  Following are several that are beautiful and functional. Since they’re made of bamboo, they’re also environmentally hip. This is the Bamboo Cutting Board Collection designed by bambu — available from Bambeco:

Click to choose from 3 attractive "undercut" design bamboo cutting boards from Bambeco

Bamboo is actually 16% harder than maple and thus more durable. Bamboo is also sustainably harvested and regrows quickly. These cutting boards come in 3 useful sizes and are sold for good prices at Bambeco.

Bamboo and other wooden cutting boards are good for just about any kitchen cutting task, but you might want to add a polyethylene plastic cutting board (also fine for knife blades) for use with meats, poultry, and fish. Unlike the bamboo board, you can stick the plastic board in the dishwasher.

The Gripper cutting board from Architec is a top-rated plastic cutting board

Here is a top-rated high-density plastic cutting board in a cool green color (11 x 14 inches) — the Architec “The Gripper” Cutting Board:

Find this multi-purpose cutting board for a low price at Cooking.com.

Finally, if you want a really stylish and versatile piece of kitchen furniture to use as a cutting surface, as well as for serving, storage, and as a central organizing piece in your kitchen, consider the Professional Bamboo Cart from Totally Bamboo. It’s beautiful and functional, with a 4-inch butcher-block top, a drawer, towel racks, heavy-duty casters, etc. The company, Totally Bamboo, is one of the original innovators of bamboo products and follows some of the most stringent environmental protocols in producing its products. You can find this beautiful cart here.

Professional Bamboo Cart from Totally Bamboo

So, unless you’re one of those guys who just “knows” how to do things — repair a car, invade a city, use a knife — you’ve gotta learn some techniques to get started. Otherwise you won’t get the most out of your collection of fine kitchen knives. You think the greatest chefs in the world came out of the womb knowing how to julienne? Knowing which end of the knife to hold is a start, and here’s a good basic intro video for technique:

After all this talk about knives…

It would be nice to have something to cook, right? What will it be? Bouillabaisse? Meat loaf? Parsnip oven fries with curry dipping sauce? Whatever, you’ll probably want a good cookbook to get some ideas and methods. The movie “Julie and Julia” has done a thorough job of reminding everyone just how good Julia Child’s cookbook is. Some say it’s the best cookbook ever. Put it on your shelf alongside other classics such as the Betty Crocker Cookbook and The Joy of Cooking. Then pick a recipe and start slicing!

Click to purchase from Barnes & Noble

Smaklig måltid!

(What the heck does that mean? It means the same as the title of the magazine below on the right, only in Swedish.) (Say: “Smah-kleeg mole-teed.”)

Click for subscription to Blade Magazine for 66% off!

Click to subscribe at 62% off!

Related posts:

1. Survival Knives
2. The Coolest Movie and TV Swords and Knives

You can handle any knife-related survival tasks with one of the three survival knives reviewed below.  These are knives you can count on in a survival situation.  When it comes to surviving outside the bounds of civilization, simpler is better, so go with one of these tried and true knives.  They are classics.

If you actually find yourself out in the wilderness trying to survive…

…then you’ll want a knife made to handle those conditions — whether you’re lost in the mountains, stranded in the desert, bushwhacking out of a jungle, or marooned on a tropical island.  The right knife can mean the difference between survival and a beat-down by the environment.

There are any number of knives touted as survival knives and many of them are pretty good.  But if you have a choice, why not choose a knife that has stood the test of time?  One that is known to be reliable and practical?  If your bush plane goes down in Alaska in the winter and it’s 40 below and you’re trying to stay alive in the woods, you don’t necessarily care how sexy or fashionable your survival knife is, you just want it to fucking do the job.

Three knives will be reviewed here that will fit the bill (plus a fourth knife that, though popular, might not).  In addition to your wits — which are your single most important survival factor – these tools (plus a few other essential survival tools you might want to carry, such as a flint and steel and some cord or a survival strap) can help you execute a wide variety of survival-oriented tasks, including building a shelter, which is often the most important thing to accomplish first.  Hacking up bushes and cutting limbs is a darn sight easier and more efficient if you’re not trying to do it with your bare hands.

And when it comes to how to use your knife to survive, I’ve included a list of three of the top survival books of all time.  You’ll find these manuals listed at the end of this post, conveniently linked to for purchasing.

But first, the knives. We’ll start with the legendary star of this class…

The Ka-Bar USMC Fighting/Utility Knife

KA-BAR U. S. Marine Corps Fighting/Utility Knife

This is possibly the most famous knife in the world.  It was conceived in 1942, when the U. S. Marine Corps needed a better combat/utility knife to issue to its personnel during WW II.  The Ka-Bar company, in conjunction with military advisors, came up with this design, and it became one of the most popular knives ever, with more than a million manufactured by Ka-Bar during the war alone.  It continues to be used by several branches of the US military today, including the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, and Underwater Demolition Teams, and remains the personal knife of choice for many Marines.  The design has been upgraded as materials have improved in the 67 years since the knife was first issued.

The Ka-Bar Marine Corps Fighting/Utility Knife can do pretty much anything a knife is supposed to do, plus a few more.  In the war it was used to dig trenches, pound tent stakes, drive nails, open ration cans, and defend oneself, while still remaining sharp enough for the occasional shave.  It is presently in use in Afghanistan and Iraq.  It has also become a favorite of outdoorsmen, adventurers, and survivalists.  In its “How to Survive” issue in 2008, National Geographic Adventure magazine listed a knife as an indispensable survival tool and endorsed the Ka-Bar Fighting/Utility Knife as the only knife you would need.  Of the Ka-Bar, they wrote:  “Drop someone naked in the middle of nowhere with nothing but this tool — and a survival school education — and they’ll be lounging fireside in rabbit fur by sundown.”  This knife is durable, rugged, versatile, and a bargain when you consider its quality.

Ka-Bar Fighting/Utility Knife - straight-edge version with sheath

The 7-inch blade, legendary for its extreme sharpness, is constructed of  1095 carbon steel coated with epoxy powder .  It has a Rockwell hardness rating of 56-58.   The handle is stacked leather (ah, that leather aroma).  The overall length is 11 and 7/8 inches and the weight comes in at just under 11 ounces, so you won’t mind carrying it around.  The butt cap is powdered metal and the guard is carbon steel.  It comes in both straight-edge and serrated versions.  Find the straight-edge version here for a good price.  It comes with a leather sheath. It’s made in the USA.  Online reviewers speak glowingly (even passionately) about this knife.  Go ahead — split wood, gut a catfish, cut barbed wire:  this solid knife can handle it and will keep coming back for more.  Keep one in your glove compartment, tackle box, backpack, snowmobile tool compartment, survival pack, etc.  Just remember, unless you’re in a survival situation, you might get in trouble if you carry it around naked.

Cold Steel Roach Belly Knife

Cold Steel Roach Belly Knife

Next we have a knife named after a fish — the Roach Belly Knife by Cold Steel.  This knife is an excellent value — a tough, utilitarian, light-weight survival knife for a good price.  It’s a multi-tasking fixed-blade knife that you can use in a variety of outdoor (and indoor) situations, especially where lightness, compactness, and toughness are prerequisites.  The Roach Belly design has a long history behind it, having originated in 17th-century Britain.  It was used extensively in the American colonies, particularly in the Hudson Bay region, and was believed to have been named after the roach fish, which had a similar curve to its body as the blade.  The design has stood the test of time, with its pronounced up-curve and versatile piercing tip.  One online reviewer of the Cold Steel Roach Belly Knife wrote that:  “I was able to drill a tiny hole completely through a green piece of sapling [with the tip] and make a broiler.  No doubt it would be great in making notches to start your bow drill as well.  And trap trigger carving would be a breeze.  The fine point held up very well despite the blatant abuse I subjected it to while trying to open up a rotten log to check out a marbled salamander.  I was very pleased with the rigidity and durability of the point…  Speaking of rigidity, despite my anti-baton preaching, I did conduct such a practice with this knife…  I was able to baton [i.e., hammer] this lightweight knife through an extra tough piece of wood with no handle cracking and no abuse to the edge.  Needless to say, I was very impressed.  No white marks on the black handle to show off inner wear, warping or twisting of the polymer handle, and no rattling or clicking either, it held up far beyond that of many knives in its price range, especially in handle rigidity aspect.  The edge grind held up extremely well, too, with no nicks or dings or imperfections to the edge.”

The Cold Steel Roach Belly Knife has an overall length of 8½ inches and a blade length of 4½ inches.  It weighs 2.6 ounces, so you’ll hardly know it’s there when carrying it – making it especially good for climbers, ultra-light backpackers, and kayakers.  The hollow-ground blade is made of 4116 Krupp Stainless Steel, with a hardness of Rc 56-57; the edge is finely-honed and easy to re-sharpen.  It comes with a Cordura sheath.  Some online reviewers were not impressed with the stock sheath and suggested having a Kydex sheath made for this knife.  Various companies will custom-make one for you.  I don’t have personal experience with the following companies, but you can check out a couple here and here.  (If you happen to have dealt with these companies, or you do try them, please leave a comment below regarding your experience.)

At less than $15, this knife would complement the Ka-Bar Fighting/Utility Knife or the Cold Steel San Mai Trail Master Bowie (described below).  Or you could buy several to stash in various locations, as well as to carry during outings.  It would make an excellent stocking-stuffer for the outdoor people on your gift list or for anyone who would like a versatile, fixed-blade knife.  In addition, it also makes a good kitchen or barbecue knife.  Use it to cut a hunky chunk of squash, slice salami and cheese, carve up celery sticks, prune a flower arrangement…

Following is a video showing a Ka-Bar knife and the Cold Steel Roach Belly in action in the field.  Ever wonder how to get a fire going with the most basic tools?  Watch and learn…

The Ka-Bar and Cold Steel knives will fit the bill for most situations.  However, they are not necessarily the creme de la creme of survival knives.  If you want the BMW of survival knives, then read on for a review of a really kick-ass knife.   It is the…

Cold Steel San Mai Trail Master Bowie

Cold Steel San Mai Trail Master Bowie

At some time, every man has wanted a bowie knife.  There is no more significant knife available.  Admit it…if you’re in a hardware store or outdoor supply place and you happen to wander by the glass case with the knives and there’s a bowie knife in it, doesn’t your gaze linger?  Don’t you, if only for a moment, feel lust in your heart?  Yeah, well, you’re supposed to feel like that.  As Crocodile Dundee stated, “That’s a knife.”  There are a number of bowie designs around and the Cold Steel San Mai Trail Master is one of the best.  It’s 14½ inches long overall with a 9½-inch blade made of stainless San Mai III steel.   The weight is 17.5 ounces.

San Mai III steel diagram

Cold Steel explains the San Mai III blade fabrication process by likening it to a “sandwich” with three parts:  the ”meat center” is hard, high-carbon steel and the two “pieces of bread” on either side are the lower-carbon protective sides.  The edge of a blade needs to be hard to maximize edge-holding while the body of the blade must be able to resist impact and lateral stresses.  Otherwise, a knife could be damaged during rigorous use.  Counterintuitively, the softer and more flexible a steel is, the “tougher” it is, but a steel of such consistency won’t hold a superior edge.  So, two different kinds of steel are combined to provide the best of both qualities, sharpness and hardiness.  Is the San Mai Trail Master tough?  You bet.  Is it sharp?  It will shave your arm hair.  Cold Steel claims that this knife will outperform “by a wide margin” any factory-made knife and 99% of all hand-forged blades.  If you spend your hard-earned money on this knife, you know you’re getting one of the best.  It is possibly the most knife for the money ever commercially built.  The blade and the non-slip Kraton grip are virtually immune to water, salt, and the humidity of a jungle environment.

Cold Steel San Mai Trail Master in sheath

You may not believe some of the things this knife will do.  Seeing is believing, however, so check out the following video to see this knife in action.

While it is more expensive than the knives listed above, the Cold Steel San Mai Trail Master Bowie is, quite simply, worth it if you ever find yourself in the kind of situation where a good knife can mean the difference between surviving and, well, not.  And really, why be satisfied with lusting in your heart when you can actually possess one of the best bowie knives ever?  Find it from True Swords, one of the best online retailers for knives and swords (excellent prices and customer service) and also from Kennesaw Cutlery, which has a large selection of other survival knives, too (on their site, search on “Survival knives”  — and if for some reason you don’t get one of the knives reviewed here, at least make sure the knife you select has a carbon steel blade).

The San Mai Trail Master Bowie might be the knife Jim Bridger would carry if he was alive today.  I don’t doubt that there’s at least a little bit of Jim Bridger in you…           

You can’t go wrong with the knives reviewed above when it comes to a survival knife you can rely on when the chips are down or to keep around “just in case.”  They will outperform many others on the market and your kids will be pleased to inherit them (after you die in bed peacefully at a ripe old age, having survived many adventures).  However, before we leave the topic of survival knives, I should mention, for the sake of thoroughness, one more thing…

And now for something completely different — a survival knife you actually might not want:  the Tom Brown Tracker Knife

A lot of us have heard of the Tom Brown Tracker Knife due to the movie (which I really like) “The Hunted.”  (If you haven’t seen the movie, hie thee to this site and remedy the situation immediately by purchasing it.  It’ll be a good addition to your collection of man-films.)

Now, I have nothing but admiration for Tom Brown, Jr., who is a preeminent tracker, survival teacher, and author.  He is the modern-day equivalent of an Apache scout.  He once lived in the wilderness for a year with nothing but his bare hands.  And his Tracker School is probably the best-known tracking and survival school in the nation, if not the world.  Knifewise, he was a consultant on the movie “The Hunted” (check out the interesting material about Tom on the featurettes included on the DVD).  So it stands to reason that he would choose to feature a knife in that movie that he had a hand in designing.  In fact, the movie is kind of an extended commercial for the knife, as well as knife skills in general.  But does the blade actually live up to the hype?  And the high price?

Some say no.  The knife is relatively heavy to lug around (28 ounces), for one thing.  (A Ka-Bar knife and a Gerber Back Paxe together would weigh only 2 ounces more and you’d have money left over to buy fishing tackle.)  Despite  the weight, the “multi-purpose” blade  is only 6 inches long (4¼ inches according to the TOPS website, but that specification is in doubt).   Some say it tries to offer too many functions  in too short a space.  It looks cool, at least, and it has that Tommy Lee Jones/Benicio Del Torro cachet, but is it worth nearly $300?  You can decide for yourself.  Some people seem to love it more or less for the idea of it.  But would you want it over other knives in a survival situation?

Check out the following video from Nutnfancy for a thought-provoking review.

If you still want the burly Tom Brown Tracker Knife you can find it here.  Sometimes an item will speak to you, regardless of its comparative utility.

That’s why there isn’t just one of  everything.

May all your challenges be survivable — and, if not survivable, a hell of a lot of fun.

More Essential Info Relating to Edged Implements and Surviving

How do you get that “survival school education”?  In addition to schools such as the Tom Brown Tracker School, check out the following outstanding books.  They’ll tell you how to put your knife to good use, among a lot of other things:

This is the revised edition of a classic on survival — SAS Survival Handbook:  For Any Climate in Any Situation, by John “Lofty” Wiseman.

Wilderness Survival (2nd. ed.), by Gregory Davenport, a former USAF Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) instructor, covers most survival basics.

The Ultimate Guide to U.S. Army Survival Skills, Tactics, and  Techniques, by the Department of the Army (Jay McCullough, ed.) covers not only multiple survival scenarios in depth but combat contingencies as well.   Quite thorough.

I’m a fan of multiple sources when it comes to learning how to do something.  Of course, it takes more than reading books to learn how to survive.  Then again, as mentioned at the top of this post, your most important survival tool is your brain.  Add some hands-on practice, and you’ll be fine.

To see a huge variety of additional survival knives and find more in-depth info, check the sources below:

Field & Stream is the classic outdoor/adventure magazine.  There’s a reason it’s been around for 100 years…

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Blade is the godfather of knife magazines…

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Related posts:

1. Kitchen Knives for a Lifetime of Cooking Adventures
2. The Basics: Knives – Every Man Needs One or Three (and Multitools)